


Everything That Could Have Been

by GlowingGem



Category: Mario Story | Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Origami King (Video Game)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, I'm not sorry, Implied Character Death, Mario is mentioned a few times, Memories, Olly is in turmoil, Other, Spoilers for game, if this makes you sad, the world is paper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27761995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlowingGem/pseuds/GlowingGem
Summary: After his visit to Sweetpaper Valley, King Olly sits in Peach's castle, moving forward with his plan. However, he's haunted by the thoughts and memories of his sister, all while he tries to comprehend the reasons behind her betrayal. (Contains spoilers for Paper Mario the Origami King)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	Everything That Could Have Been

Fold the neck.

Fold the tail.

Fold the head.

And now open the wings.

The orange origami crane floated in mid air for a few moments before gently being placed upon a nearby shelf alongside twenty other cranes.

Sitting on Peach's former throne was the Origami King himself, Olly. He leaned back in the seat and glanced out the window. If there was one downside to the giant streamers keeping the castle under wraps, it would be how they covered the windows as well, not giving much view to the outside world. But then again, this flat papery world didn't compare to the kingdom that would soon be brought to fruition.

However, with the red and blue streamers now gone, looking through to the outside world has become more manageable. The distant mountains decorating the landscape made for some excellent scenery. He would be lying if he said the view wasn't beautiful, he'll give the world that much. The distant mountains stood tall, their soft pallets blending together nicely with each other. One mountain in particular stood out among the rest.

Autumn mountain's bright orange and reds reminded him of the flames of the Fire Vellumental he had folded to his will, just like all the ones before and after it. Though trying to locate it's temple wasn't so easy… He had a decent singing voice, but no where near the level to awaken it's home from the sand. (Plus he was not about to sing and dance like an absolute buffoon just to enter a temple.) But thankfully, his legion of stationary, namely the Disco devil: Hole punch, managed to, well...punch a way through the system. He snickered to himself at the memory and what Hole punch went on to do afterwards.

'Oh, those poor toads. I do almost feel sorry for them. Almost...'

He simply picked up another sheet of paper and began folding another crane.

So far nothing seems to have changed since his visit to Sweetpaper Valley. Looks like that boulder he dropped impeded Mario and his little friend's progress. That was good. And with his sister out of the picture, he didn't need to worry about any more meddling. Yes… that… that's good. His kingdom would come to be very soon, it was only a matter of time… He'd show those flat paper fools their place! They'd see the power of origami at it's finest. No flat dimwitted followers of Bowser, no screeches of miserable toads, a world for origami in it's purest form...

"And we'll rule it together, side by side! Doesn't that sound thrilling?"

A small ripping sound broke him out of his train of thought. He looked down and sure enough there was a tear in the sheet of paper he was using. Most likely a sign of him unknowingly getting more aggressive with the folds. He looked at the ruined paper in disgust, crumpled it up, and threw it to the side. The king slumped back in the throne and looked at the display of perfectly folded cranes of to the side of the room.

"Hmm… Maybe I should take a break from this…" He mused before looking away from the shelf. "I have other things I need to focus on and I may actually lose my sanity if I keep folding cranes non-stop." He gently levitated up from his seat and floated over to another set of shelves and pulled out a lavender folder, the same shade as his garments, with his insignia in the center of the cover. After grabbing it, he returned to the throne and opened the folder. Inside were several notes and designs of a large castle, folded soldiers, macho soldiers, and all sorts of origami.

All written and drawn on flat blank sheets of paper. Just how all flat paper should be seen as. Nothing more.

With Jean-Pierre and Rubber Band having both failed him and been put out of commission, two regions had just been liberated from his power. And he wouldn't lie, that didn't sit well with him. But, it didn't put too much of a damper on his plan. He just needed some more time… and hopefully, he managed to buy himself some.

He crossed one leg over the other and pulled out the first thing that caught his eye. The designs of a green castle. Analyzing the folds and angles of the large structure. He put the page back in the folder and pulled out another sheet, this time discussing the castle's interior, which was mostly barren. This was a part that was a little more of a challenge to him. Since the castle back at the workshop didn't exactly give him much to work with in that regard, he had to come up with something from scratch.

He had explored the inside of Peach's castle from top to bottom, and while the castle's flavor was quite polished and unique, it wasn't what Olly had envisioned for his own castle. A lot of changes had to be done, and Olly had quite a few ideas on how his idea of an origami palace should be. He pulled a pencil out from the pockets of the folder and began to draw some designs on the empty white void.

"Ah yes, the defense system. I'd say a few mind bending puzzles ought to keep any intruders, stupid enough to break in, at bay. And for extra security, why not add some hazards? Something that can easily rip through their frail paper bodies in an instant." He thought for a moment, lightly dragging the pencil down on the paper. He chuckled to himself. "Olivia always said those fortune tellers looked like mouths. Imagine the look on her face when she-" He stopped, his pencil freezing on the page mid-draw… He couldn't possibly be thinking of her now! Especially not after his failed attempt to get her to rejoin him.

"Tch! Regardless, it's something I can certainly work with. Simply taking a few creative liberties." He muttered to himself as he roughly scratched the pencil across the page to complete his sketch. After a several long minutes of drawing out some designs. He felt his eyelids begin to get heavy. He yawned, covering the lower part of his face politely. He sat back and continued to look over the notes. He tried to force himself to stay awake. He could rest when he had his kingdom. But the drowsiness tempted him… He couldn't focus on anything he had written or drawn, as he felt himself zoning out.

Despite his efforts, it wasn't long before his eyes closed… He unconsciously dropped the folder, scattering the notes contained within across the floor in an unorganized mess. However, the king made no movement towards it. He only breathed steadily as he slipped into a quiet slumber...

\--

The gentle light illuminated through the small origami studio basement. Olly was sitting at the desk, hunched over, seemingly very focused on what was on the there. However, he didn't seem to be making any movements or sounds, oddly enough.

"Olly! Olly!" Olivia called cheerfully as she floated over to the work bench. As she got closer, she noticed her brother wasn't folding anything, or drawing up designs. Instead, his eyes were closed and a small nearly silent moan left him every time he exhaled. She moved beside him and tapped him on the shoulder a few times. After receiving no response, she slipped her hand under Olly's long bang and lifted it off his face before tapping him again. This time on his now exposed cheek.

"Brother! You awake?" This finally snapped Olly back to consciousness again as he tiredly made eye contact with his sister, who simply smiled at him in response. After a moment, he gently batted her arm away causing his hair to fall back over the left side of his face.

"Olivia, I told you before to please not play with my hair." He grumbled has he flipped his foldedbang a bit to straighten it out. "I find it to be very rude, mind you." Olivia's expression deflated a bit, while looking down sadly.

"I know, I'm sorry brother..." The king sighed, and shook his head. Rubbing his visible eye and sitting up straight in his seat. While subconsciously brushing his hand across the desk and across the various papers the littered it.

"I suppose I should apologize as well. I must have dozed of a bit. I've been experimenting with my Origami crafting skills and I lost track of the time..."

"Yeah, you have been doing a lot of origami. And a lot of drawing too." The girl looked down at the notes he had written out and designs and sketches of various origami creatures of the likes Olivia had never seen before.

"Doing that all day will drive anyone crazy. Why don't you take a break?" At this, Olly scoffs and gathers his notes. Organizes them in a neat pile, and gently taps the side of it on the surface of the desk, straightening it out.

"Time is of the essence my dear Olivia. One does not get better at a skill simply overnight. I need to polish off my skills before we leave tonight. And believe me, I want to be gone from this workshop as quickly as possible!"

"Right. So we can find our kingdom." The girl finished.

"Good girl." There was a short silence between the two. Olivia began to awkwardly back away, feeling that their interaction had ended. However, Olly's voice stopped her before she could fully turn her back to him.

"So, did you want to talk to me about something?" He asked, shifting himself on the stool to face his sister, who quickly perked up and quickly spun around to look at him. Clearly excited by the question as she slightly leaned from side to side, with a cheerful smile.

"Yeah! I want you to take a look at something I found!" She then zipped over to the other side of the room, picked up a book she had been reading before, and began flipping through the pages. Olly let out an annoyed groan before begrudgingly getting up and floating over to where she was.

"Sister. I swear, if this is another picture of a dog, I'm folding you into a grasshopper and keeping you in a cage for the rest of our time here." His sister glanced over at him briefly, flashing him an unimpressed look.

"Hey! First off, what's wrong with dogs? They're cute! Secondly, no it's not. It's something I learned about Origami that I think you might like!" She finally found the page she was looking for and practically shoved the open book into Olly's face excitedly.

"Here it is! Look! Look!"

"Alright. Alright. Give me a moment." He took the book from her hands and moved it away from his face in order to actually read it properly. He skimmed over the page with a bored expression, deciding to humor her so he could go back to his work. However after a few lines, his expression changed into a more intrigued one. He began reading with more interest, soaking in the information that was being presented to him, until finally...

"The thousand folded cranes technique?" he asked as he looked up from the book. Olivia nodded happily, clearly pleased to find something that her brother was genuinely interested in.

"Yep! Apparently, whoever folds one-thousand cranes can get a wish granted! Isn't that amazing!?" Olly didn't answer right away, he looked back down at the page discussing the technique, before refocusing his eyes up at Olivia again.

"What kind of wish?" He asked. Olivia gave a small shrug.

"I don't know. I think any kind! Like a mountain of ice cream, POOF! There it is! Or maybe the ability to breath underwater, BOOM! Here you go! Or even…a cute doggy!"

"I had a feeling she might say that last one…" Olly said to himself quietly, before looking back into the book. Giving the section one last quick read through before closing the book. This information was quite valuable, and he could save this for future reference. After all, that kind of power should be harnessed, and who better to use it than him? The Origami King?

Though… he couldn't help but wonder...

"Olivia. What would you wish for if you had 1,000 cranes?" He suddenly asked with a slight tilt of his head. Olivia glanced up at him with surprise, but looked more than happy to answer the question. It seemed simple enough. She could answer easily. Right?

"What would I wish for? Hmmmm…" She pondered for a bit. Tapping her head as she tried to think of a good answer. Olly made a small smile. (Or at least something as close to a smile for one with no visible mouth can make.) He couldn't help but think how cute his sister was when the cogs in her brain were turning. Eventually, she looked down completely and totally stumped, the tips of her crown drooping as she did.

"Ohhh… that question is harder than it sounds. There are a lot of things I could wish for." She sighed glumly. "I guess I could just wish for a thousand wishes." She suggested with a shrug, only to blink in surprise when her brother actually chuckled at the answer. He set the book aside, straightened his posture, and put his hands behind his back.

"You could. But isn't that cheating?" He asked in a matter-of factually way, then raised a single hand and shook his head. "Sister, you and I are above such petty things like that. We get a single wish after the labor of folding a thousand cranes, so let us play by the rules, shall we? If you could only have one wish, what would it be?" Olivia still seemed stumped at the big question, but she then looked at him instead.

"Well, do you have a wish?" She asked innocently. Olly blinked, put his hand down, and looked away. He was silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing as certain rage inducing thoughts went through his mind. Eventually he turned back to look at Olivia with a much more gentle expression.

"Yes. I know what I would do with my wish. But I'm more interested in yours." Olivia was silent for a few moments, obviously trying to think on what to answer with. Eventually her eyes settled on the diorama of the Origami castle. She stared at it for a good long moment before finally speaking.

"Well… I guess my wish would be for us to live together happily in a fun castle in a beautiful kingdom." Olly remained in place wearing a surprised expression on his face. He blinked a few times, trying to process what she had said. Eventually, he managed to find his voice again.

"O-Olivia… I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that kind of answer." He spoke. Olivia then floated over to him, gently held his hands, and looked at him in the eyes with, what Olly could assume, was the most serious expression he's seen his sister wear since she had been first folded.

"Brother, you folded me and brought me to life. I want to enjoy it as much as I can! And I want you to too! There's so much I want to see and do outside of the walls of this workshop, that I'm actually really excited to leave. To live in a castle and see the world in all it's glory is something I am looking really forward to! And the only way it could be even more wonderful, is if you were there with me. I want to be with you brother. I really do. So...That's what I wish for." The siblings looked at each other for a long moment. Olly staring at his sister in awe. Eventually he gently pulled his hands away, looking at her with an amused look.

"And here I was, expecting you to settle for the dog." he said half-jokingly.

"Wellll… A dog would still be nice to have too." She admitted then pulled out a picture of an unusual looking puppy, that had tan fur and a blue spot on it's back. "Maybe something like this one! It's so fluffy!" She gushed as she held out the photo. Olly stared at the picture for a moment before looking up at her.

"What did I say about showing me another picture of a dog?" He asked slowly, but his tone and expression didn't hold any malicious intent. Rather mischievous instead. Olivia took notice and gasped. She began to back away a bit, with her brother slowly inching towards her.

"Uhhh… You'll have to catch me first!" She declared, before floating around the table and discarding the photo of the puppy. However, Olly countered her by floating around the diorama in the opposite direction and confronting her on the other side. He made a grab for her, but the girl quickly jumped back and took off back around again. Then began a small chase around the table. Every time Olivia rounded one of the corners, Olly would be right by the next one, forcing her to turn and run away again. Eventually the game ended when Olly had finally managed to sneak up on Olivia and caught her from behind. She yelped and they both fell to the floor with a light thud. Neither of them were hurt thankfully. Olly was lying on his back while holding Olivia to his chest. (Admittedly it wasn't very easy with stubby triangle arms, But he managed to keep a strong hold on her.) After a moment of catching their breath, Olly sat up while Olivia giggled and squirmed in his arms.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?" He asked looking down at his little captive with a confident look. Normally, he wouldn't partake in such childish antics, nor did he give many hugs. But… After hearing what Olivia's desire was, he seemed to be in a really good mood.

"Eeee! Don't turn me into a bug!" She squealed lightheartedly as she attempted to wiggle out of her brother's grasp. This earned her another chuckle from him, as he looked back at the miniature castle. His expression softened at the sight of it, as he thought about Olivia's wish. A wish so sweet, so pure, and wholesome… One he could certainly see happening. He closed his eyes. He could just imagine it now.

Him standing on the balcony of his castle, overlooking the newly folded origami kingdom. His subjects bowing down to him. And his sister standing right next to him, looking up at him with admiration shining in her eyes.

After all, it was his overall plan.

He sighed, opened his eyes, and looked down at his sister, who had ceased her squirming and was now looking up at him in curiosity. He finally released the girl from his hold before looking back up up at the diorama. Olivia sitting next to him on the floor, sharing the view of the miniature castle.

"Oh Olivia… My dear sweet Olivia..." Olly sighed. "I assure you, there's no need to even have to wish for that. Because once we finally have a castle and kingdom of our own, you will sit in the throne right beside mine. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way."

…

…

"...Olly… Please wake up." The small voice stirred the king away from his dream. Letting out a gentle moan, he cracked his eyes open. His vision was slightly blurry due to just waking up. But in his peripheral vision he spotted a small stubby white paper arm that was lightly nudging his shoulder, and a lock of blonde hair. Still in a groggy state, and not thinking clearly, he shook his head and turned to face the person he believed to have finally come to his way of thinking.

"Olivia!? You've come-" He stopped when he saw that the person who woke him up, wasn't his sister but rather the origami Princess Peach.

"I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else." The folded woman spoke with a hushed and slightly uncanny voice. Though, that didn't seem to bother the king in the slightest. "There is no need to worry King Olly. The traitorous princess is still squashed underneath the bolder you dropped on her."

"Oh. Right. Of course." He mused, slightly embarrassed by his reaction. In front of one of his soldiers no less. He looked away in an attempt to hide a faint warmth that tinted the center of his origami face as he lightly smoothed his hair. However if one listened close enough, a small hint of disappointment could be noticed in his voice.

"*Ahem* Princess, I'm sorry for the outburst. That was uncouth of me." He lifted his hand and the discarded notes that laid on the floor, suddenly sprung up into the air and re organized themselves, before gently floating back down into his hands.

"What have you come here for?" He asked as he tucked them back into the currently empty folder.

"We have gotten word that the Paper Macho Gooper Blooper has been defeated by Mario. Shall I inform the soldiers to prepare for an assault on the cruise-line: The Princess Peach?" Setting the folder aside, Olly rose from the throne, floated to the window and stared out at the great sea. Where the purple streamer hanged above the gentle waves and into the horizon. This news was rather confusing to him… Olivia was as good as crumpled the longer she remains under that boulder, so why would Mario be sailing across the sea to an abandoned cruise ship?

"Odd… Why would Mario be there of all places? I doubt he has the resources to reach the purple streamer or face the Legion of Stationary guarding it..." He pondered for a moment, but brushed it off. "Though, I don't see any reason to be too worried. Simply tell the scouts to keep an eye on Mario and we'll leave it at that. He'll get his comeuppance soon enough." The folded princess bowed her head.

"As you wish King Olly..." But as she was turning to leave Olly stopped her with a, "Just a moment." And she turned back around to look at the king.

"Also tell them not to disturb me. There are a few things I would like to think about." He said sternly. Origami Peach bowed her head once again.

"Understood." Was the simple response. So the folded Princess Peach proceeded to turn around and walk out of the room. Olly only floated in place, silently looking out the window and not turning to look at the folded princess. After he heard the door close behind her, assuring him that she was gone, he heaved a long sigh and put a hand on his forehead.

That dream… that memory...

Why was his mind turning to Olivia so much? Ever since he dropped that bolder on her in Sweetpaper Valley…

He shook his head.

It was her own fault really. She stubbornly decided to stand against him so he acted. He was NOT going to tolerate any interference in his ambition, and if that meant putting down his own sister it would be done. But still… Even so… He couldn't help but wonder why. Why was she so determined to stop him? Why was she always begging him to stop with his plans? Every time, leading up to the Origami festival, when he was still in the process of creating folded soldiers, she would plead him. Always telling him to stop and reconsider his plans and actions. And every time, he couldn't understand why she was against his ideals. The first few times she did this, Olly assumed that she didn't fully understand why it was nessicasry. She was folded with child-like innocence, so it was only natural for her to feel uncomfortable with something like that. But he figured that she would simply adjust over time and go along with his plans without question. But when her opinions didn't change, when she actively started rebelling against his cause, trying to change his mind. He was angry, confused, and even a bit disappointed.

"Why can't she see the greatness of my plan? Why doesn't she understand my rightful hatred towards those pathetic peasants Flat paper has it's limits while the power of origami has none!" He crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall as he looked down at the floor, eyes narrowed as he thought to himself.

"Was it something I did? Did I fold her wrong? No… I fold flawlessly, she was supposed to be perfect! And yet here we are..." his eyes shifted over to his notes. All written and drawn on the flat sheets of paper he despised so much.

"Maybe it was all the exposure to those flat peasants. Did they bend and poison her mind? It might have!" he thought back to his encounter with Olivia. Her argument ringing through his mind, clear as a sunny day.

"But origami and flat paper can live together! You don't have to be so mean to these nice paper folk!" She hadn't learned a thing. She still believed in such fantasies that wouldn't ever work in the real world. Her travels with Mario only seemed to feed her delusions, which ultimately led to her downfall. Olly gave a bitter laugh reminiscing her words.

"Heh...heh… My dear sister… You are so naive..." He gently touched the right side of his belly, and his expression soured. "If only you knew how pathetic and shameful those flat fools truly are. They do nothing but disgrace and disrespect… violate and soil those different from them, more superior than them. Origami are just seen as playthings to them! We don't need them! We deserve respect!" He spun around and slammed his hand against the wall, his frustration growing as he struggled to comprehend Olivia's view on the people he despised so much.

"If you only saw things like I do. Then… things would be different. You could have been helping me refold this kingdom, you could have been the second in command, you could have been in this castle, You could have been…" He stopped and barely whispered the next part as his hand slowly slid down the paper wall.

"With me..."

He felt a cold pang in his chest, he tried to ignore it as a purple aura surrounded his body. A few paper knickknacks sitting around nearby levitated up from their spots and lifted up into the air as the king continued his rant.

"I could have granted that wish, sister… I would have! But you decided to turn on me! Willing to defend those flat peasants, who are beneath us. Beneath origami. Beneath you!" He crushed the various objects in his telekinesis grip. Their crumpled useless forms now dropping to the floor, but Olly payed them no mind. For he was too focused on his rage. He could barely stomach it! It actually made him feel sick that his own creation, one he actually poured so much heart and passion into, would betray him in favor of the flimsy flat paper that infested this world.

Especially those dreadful, annoying, stupid, insignificant -

"KinG OlLy!" The king quickly spun around at the new voices that interrupted his train of thought. And sure enough, an origami Shy guy and Koopa had burst through the doors of the room. Olly's eyes narrowed, his only visible eye giving off a slight purple hue at the disturbance.

"What?! Didn't I just order you not to disturb me!?" He snapped, clearly angered by the interruption. Granted his rage had already bubbled near the top from trying to about the reasons behind Olivia's betrayal. Both soldiers jumped back a bit in fear. But the Shy guy managed to pull himself together, and shakily continued.

"oUr sCoUts JusT rEporTeD SomeTHing biG! An EXploSion wENt oFf in SweEtPaPer ValLeY! tHe bOuLder is GoNe." Olly froze at the news. He slowly turned back around at the pair of folded soldiers with wide eyes.

"What?! But how? I-" he began to ask but cut himself off as his memories began playing back to him. He remembered that back when he confronted Olivia in the valley, Mario wasn't the only person with her… In fact, she was also accompanied by someone else...

'The Bob-omb! Of course! Curses!' He narrowed his eyes as he turned to face the window again.

"Forget it. Tell the folded soldiers of the Scorching Sandpaper Desert to stay on high alert for Mario and my sister!" He commanded not adverting his gaze from the glass. "Make sure they inform Hole punch as well! We can't have them getting in the way anymore then they already have!"

"yEs KinGoLlY!" The soldiers saluted before turning around and scurrying out of the room, leaving the Origami King alone once more. After they had left, Olly went over the folder, picked it up and opened it. Taking one last look at the designs. His eyes fell upon the images of two thrones. The first one, obviously designed for him, was an elegant shade of lavender topped with a three pointed crown, just like his own. However, his gaze was focused on the chair next to it...

The second throne… Folded by beautiful cream paper… with a two pointed crown sitting at the top. He gently placed his hand on the second sketch, taking a moment to look at it.

"It's a pity really… That you chose to fight on the wrong side." He said to himself quietly, tearing his gaze away from the picture in favor of looking down at the floor again. A small glimmer of sadness sparked in his eye for a brief moment...

"You were the only person I ever truly loved..."

The words, gentle and silent as they were, seemingly slipped out of the king, catching him by surprise. With narrowed eyes, he quickly slammed the folder shut and stowed it back into the spot he originally pulled it from. After that was done, he turned around and proceeded to make his way towards the door, flipping his folded bang as he did.

"However… Whatever should happen next, will not be my fault. You have brought this upon yourself..."

Consumed with rage. Blinded with hate and entitlement. Perhaps he was. But it didn't matter. He's come this far, he wasn't going to let his little sister and some flat plumber derail his plans! Perhaps at some point through her little adventure with Mario, she would realize the mistake she had made and come back to him. Of course, he would probably like to see some groveling from her first before letting her back in. But alas, he knew that was just wishful thinking and the chances of that happening were very low.

His vision would be realized regardless! He would rule a kingdom of origami, with or without his sister by his side.

But...even so... he would still dream. About everything that could have been…

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah... This is my first story to be posted on Archive of our Own. Whoo! I hope you enjoyed, and please leave your thoughts below! (Please make more Origami King stories everyone)


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